Cumulus Media Signs Influential Atlanta Rock Radio Personality Steve Craig as Program Director and Midday On-Air Host for 99X
Craig Comes Home to Middays on 99X and Rounds Out Re-Launch Lineup of Atlanta’s Iconic Alternative Rock Station
ATLANTA, GA – July 10, 2023 – Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) announces that Atlanta Rock radio personality Steve Craig will return to the legendary 99X (WNNX-FM) as Program Director for the station and as On-Air Host, Middays. Craig, who was previously Midday Host for 99X from 1992-2007, is a much-loved Rock radio fixture among Atlanta radio listeners and is the last returning original member of the 99X on-air team that helped define Alternative Rock and a generation. Craig comes home to 99X today after a 10-year run on Classic Hits station 97.1 The River/WSRV-FM. He has also been Atlanta United’s in-game announcer for many years and is a professional pilot who does charitable work for Angel Flight.
Craig can be heard weekdays from 10:00am-3:00pm ET on 99X, which re-launched to an appreciative audience of 99X fans in December 2022. Earlier this year, the station welcomed the return of original 99X morning hosts, Leslie Fram and Steve Barnes to Mornings on 99X, and Will Pendarvis to Afternoon Drive on the station. Craig’s Midday program will air all-new content as well as classic segments from the legacy show, including the feature, “Steve’s College of Musical Knowledge,” a listener favorite. The show can also be streamed on https://99xatl.com/ or via the 99X app.
Brian Philips, Chief Content Officer, Cumulus Media, said: “With wit, unsurpassed music knowledge and total devotion to his craft, Steve Craig has held the imagination of huge Atlanta audiences for nearly three decades. As Steve returns to the fold, we truly have entirely restored 99X with nothing but “members of the Original Cast”. Cumulus is lucky to have recaptured this gang of longtime friends and colleagues, and luckier still that Steve will lead them.”
Sean Shannon, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Atlanta, commented: “The band is back together, and we’ve got our lead guitarist. Steve’s intimate understanding of the brand, his passion for music and his 30-some years living here in Atlanta are invaluable to the 99X project. This has been a passion project for all involved from the start, and with Steve’s leadership we’ll continue to grow and evolve this brand in a way that reflects the wants of the hundreds of thousands of listeners who have already tuned in and said, ‘I am 99X.’”
Steve Craig remarked: “Over the last 15 years, we’ve talked about ‘getting the band back together’… and to again be surrounded by the most passionate, professional and iconic talent I’ve ever worked beside is an almost unimaginable dream come true!
To do what you love and do it again with your closest friends and the most dedicated, loyal listeners is beyond belief! We are 99X!”
For more information or to stream 99X, visit: https://99xatl.com/.
About Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) is an audio-first media company delivering premium content to over a quarter billion people every month — wherever and whenever they want it. Cumulus Media engages listeners with high-quality local programming through 404 owned-and-operated radio stations across 85 markets; delivers nationally-syndicated sports, news, talk, and entertainment programming from iconic brands including the NFL, the NCAA, the Masters, CNN, the AP, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and many other world-class partners across more than 9,400 affiliated stations through Westwood One, the largest audio network in America; and inspires listeners through the Cumulus Podcast Network, its rapidly growing network of original podcasts that are smart, entertaining and thought-provoking. Cumulus Media provides advertisers with personal connections, local impact and national reach through broadcast and on-demand digital, mobile, social, and voice-activated platforms, as well as integrated digital marketing services, powerful influencers, full-service audio solutions, industry-leading research and insights, and live event experiences. Cumulus Media is the only audio media company to provide marketers with local and national advertising performance guarantees. For more information visit www.cumulusmedia.com.
Contact: Lisa Dollinger, Dollinger Strategic Communication for Cumulus Media, lisa@dollcomm.com and 512.633.4084.